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This Faculty & Staff Newsletter is published by the Dean's Office in the College of Health at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

To submit content, email: slsmith@uaa.alaska.edu
The UAA College of Health advances the health and well being of people and communities
Leading Toward a Healthier Tomorrow
COH Updates
All-College Meeting
 
The College of Health (COH) all-college meeting will be held  Friday, August 15th in the Cuddy Commons. The program begins at 9 AM, with informational sessions for faculty & staff taking place between 10-12. A BBQ will follow from 12-1:30 PM.

Welcome New Faculty and Staff  

The College of Health would like to welcome the following new faculty and staff.

 

Faculty:

  • Philippe Amstislavski, Associate Professor of Public Health, Department of Health Sciences
  • Terese Anderson, Term Assistant Professor of Physical Therapist Assistant & Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education, School of Allied Health
  • Lindsey Blumenstein, Assistant Professor, Justice Center
  • Pamela Bowers, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work
  • Max Kullberg, Assistant Professor of Medical Education, WWAMI School of Medical Education
  • Eric Murphy, Associate Professor of Psychology, WWAMI School of Medical Education
  • Molly Rothmeyer, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing

  • Lisa Wourms, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing

Staff:

  • Marsha Bell, School of Nursing
  • LaVenia Finger, School of Nursing
  • Rosalyn Marcellais, Administrative & Fiscal Manager, ICHS
  • Holland McMullen, Business Manager, School of Social Work
  • Heather Nice, Instructional Designer, School of Nursing

  • Khristy Parker, Research Professional, Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC)
  • Jeni Taylor, Administrative Assistant, School of Allied Health
Update on Diplomacy Building Move

 

BOB (BOC3) 
The design for the 1901 Bragaw project, also known as BOB (Building on Bragaw), is complete, and the project has been advertised for construction bids. The contractor is expected to start work in September and complete the building in the spring. Summer Sauve, the Project Manager, expects the 2nd floor to be ready for occupancy at the end of March; actual dates for moving will be firmed up in February. UA Statewide is working on improvements to the parking lot, access to the building, and replacing the rooftop cooling unit.

Committee Requests & Updates

Committee Members Needed

 

The Dean's office needs to know who the unit representatives will be for the College Peer Review, Curriculum, and Student Academic Decision Review committees. We anticipate needing three full professors for the peer review committee. The goal is to have these committees fully staffed by August 15th

 

New Club Needs Faculty Advisor 

 

The Center for Human Development is seeking a faculty member to help start an interdisciplinary student chapter of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD) at UAA. The mission of the AADMD is to improve the quality of healthcare for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders and intellectual disabilities.

 

The faculty member will serve as the club advisor. The Center for Human Development will provide support to the club and faculty member through its Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disorders (LEND) Program. In the 2014-15 academic year, the faculty member and students will complete the simple application process and develop materials about the new club, go through the UAA process to be a recognized student group, and develop a recruitment strategy for members. In future years the club will recruit members and plan at least one activity per year (e.g. DD month, Special Olympic health clinics). Interested faculty should contact Karen Ward, karenw@alaskachd.org or 264-6229. 

 

Faculty Senate Committees Need Representatives

 

Several Faculty Senate committees do not have College of Health representatives. These include: Undergraduate Academic Board, Institutional & Unit Leadership Review committee, Budget Planning and Facilities Advisory Board, Community Campus, and Nominations & Elections. Please volunteer for these committees as part of the service component of your workload so the COH can be fully represented on Faculty Senate Committees. Note, the UAB position is elected, and an election will take place early in the fall. Faculty can join the remainder of the committees by simply expressing their interests to the Governance Office: kswiante@uaa.alaska.edu or 786-1994.

 

Academic Decision Review Committee

 

In response to concerns, the College of Health made changes last year to the structure and procedures of the COH Academic Decision Review Committee. The flowcharts (informal process, formal for grades, and formal for denial or dismissal of admission) are largely based on those created by Susan Kalina in the Office of Academic Affairs, and reflect the procedures outlined in the UAA Student Fact Finder and the BOR policies. Having a student complete a form to request a formal hearing helps to organize the information as the process moves ahead, as well as requires that the student understands and articulates the problem.   

  

The following is a summary of the changes:

  • COH will have a standing committee each year (rather than ad-hoc). The full committee will consist of one member from each department, plus an alternate. Larger units, such as the SON and AHS, will be asked to provide two members.
  • There are two co-chairs, and either one can chair a hearing. This helps to eliminate any problems related to conflict of interest or availability.
  • A subset of the full committee will be formed to hear individual cases. This smaller committee will consist of five voting members and may be determined based on availability, avoidance of conflict of interest, and/or type of program involved.
  • Students requesting a formal hearing must now complete the form Request for Formal Review. Students will be able to obtain this form from our website, or obtain a hard copy from the Office of Advising and Student Advocacy (PSB 101) or in the Dean's office (PSB 205).
  • Associate Dean Susan Kaplan will contact each instructor and student before the hearing, explain the hearing procedures, and answer any questions about the process. Susan serves as a neutral party and does not attend the hearings.

COH Curriculum Committee Reviews

 

The submission deadline for committee reviews is 9 AM each Monday (the week prior to the committee's review).

 

Reviews of curricular documents follow guidelines in the UAA Curriculum Handbook (the latest revision is Summer 2014). Last year, the committee identified the issue of duplication of courses across academic units. The Interprofessional Education Committee has a preliminary listing of courses which may be duplicated across academic units. This listing is not complete but is an initial attempt to identify courses where the opportunity for interprofessional education exists. Identifying existing and new courses for interprofessional education will continue during this academic year.

UAA Updates
Curriculum Process Going Electronic 

 

The Governance Office is currently working with the Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of the Registrar to move the curriculum process entirely to an electronic form. This will help make the process simpler and more efficient for faculty and departments. Current efforts are focused on working with the software vendor regarding the layout of forms. The plan is to test the process in the fall with a university-wide roll out in the spring

 

UAA E-Catalog is Live 

 

UAA's first E-Catalog is live and ready for use. The complete 2014-15 catalog has a search feature, crumb trail, internal and external links, immediate access to course descriptions every time a course is mentioned, and pdf/print-options. The E-Catalog is available at: http://catalog.uaa.alaska.edu/ 

 

Minor Safety on Campus

  

UA's consultant for Minor Safety on Campus, Praesidium Inc, developed employment selection and recruitment guides. The three guides (interview questions, reference  questions, and high risk indicators) were sent out for consideration as inclusion in evaluating potential UAA employees. For questions regarding implementation, please contact HR or the UA Risk Manager, Nancy Spink, 450-8153.  

Upcoming Opportunities

Invitation for COH Interdisciplinary Research RFA

  

Dr. David Driscoll, Associate Dean for Research of the College of Health, is soliciting applications from UAA investigators proposing interdisciplinary research projects. Applications are due September 15, 2014. For more information, download the RFA (pdf).

 

Interprofessional Simulation Workshop

 

The Interprofessional Simulation Committee, in cooperation with the Alaska Area Health Education Centers (AHEC), is sponsoring an all-day training for faculty and heath professionals on designing, facilitating, and implementing interprofessional  simulations.

  

This workshop will provide participants with the knowledge and experience to:

  • Develop scenarios to meet your learning objectives,
  • Utilize simulation manikins and standardized patients effectively, and
  • Conduct debriefings with confidence.

A continental breakfast and lunch are included in the $75 registration fee. CEUs are available for nurses, physicians, physician assistants, and social workers. To register, go to: http://www.akcache.org/.


Calendar

Upcoming Events/Deadlines

  • August 14 - Leadership Team meeting
  • August 15 - All-college meeting (9 am - 1:30 pm)
  • August 21 - Faculty & staff convocation
  • August 25 - Fall semester begins
  • August 28 - Leadership Team meeting
  • September 1 - Labor day holiday / Faculty office hours due to dean for approval
  • September 10 - UNAC promotion/tenure/post-tenure / UNAC annual activity reports, CVs and self-evaluations due to Dean
  • September 11 - Leadership Team meeting
  • September 15 - UAFT workloads & CVs due to OAA / Sabbatical reports due to OAA
  • September 25 - Leadership Team meeting
  • September 29 - UAFT promotion and tenure, annual retention files due to Dean / Sabbatical requests due to Dean
  • October 9 - Leadership Team meeting
  • October 15 - Faculty development and research/travel grants due to OAA
  • October 23 - Leadership Team meeting


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